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Chimp In Orbit

Chimp In Orbit, huh? This ought to be good! It’s a really odd name for a drink. So, why monkeys in space?

This week in history. . .
We were researching this week in history and found a few things that seemed thematic, although not every story has a good ending. First, on this day in 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. We know, it’s not a happy event, and it’s certainly not an image most of us will forget. So, let’s just get the sad stuff out of the way first. In the coming week on February 1, 2003, the world watched in shock and disbelief as the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart on re-entry. Again, it’s another sad day for the space program. Meaning no disrespect to those brave spacefarers who lost their lives, there were a couple positive achievements that also occurred.

January 31st marks the anniversary of the 1971 Apollo 14 launch, the third mission to land men on the moon. This anniversary coincides with the launch in 1961 (here it comes) that sent a chimpanzee named Ham into space! Is it a crazy excuse to feature this drink? Well, that’s not all! In addition to the space references, the tropical nature of this cocktail is represented in history by the TV show, Fantasy Island which first aired on January 28, 1978. Finally, this day is also Elijah Wood’s birthday. I know, Frodo was a hobbit, not a chimp, but it’s close enough.

Ok, enough with the goofy historical references—let’s get to the drink. There are some great classic cocktail recipes that we will explore in the coming months for DOTW, but sometimes you just need to try something ridiculous. It may be crazy, overly-sweet, and the sort of high-octane beverage you’d find on a cruise ship (or on Fantasy Island), but we don’t care. It has been a cold, wet January in St. Paul, and this is just the ticket out of this month.

Add ingredients to a shaker, fill with ice cubes and shake very hard to chill. Strain into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

You probably noticed that this cocktail contains a high-proof rum. Use Bacardi 151 if you must (edit: Bacardi no longer makes it!), but for the best flavor, try to find Lemon Hart Demerara from Guyana. There’s also no shame in using your favorite aged rum in lieu of higher-proof options, but this will leave you in a lower orbit, unable to escape the earth’s gravity.

Red, Italian vermouth is an interesting addition to this tropical drink, and we like the effect it has on the flavor, adding an unexpected dimension. Crème de cacao and orange curaçao are adding to the sweetness of this drink along with the grenadine. We haven’t written much about orange curaçao, but it’s a liqueur similar to triple sec that is made from orange peels. You can also find blue curaçao, but that’s best avoided since there are only a few drinks out there that use it. We used our own pomegranate grenadine for this, and you should too. Finally, only fresh lemon and orange juices should make their way into the mix. Keep the concentrates and bottled stuff away!

Shaking this with ice cubes until chilled is pretty normal for any recipe. However, we are straining it into a glass filled with crushed ice. How you obtain crushed ice is up to you, but there are several easy methods. If you are lucky enough to have an ice dispenser that crushes ice you are not going to have any problems. You could also use an electric or manual ice crusher. Or, if you are like us, simply put some ice into a bag and bash it to smithereens. What exactly are smithereens, anyway? Get your crushed ice any way you can and we’ll show you how we crush ours in the next post.

Garnish this one with a sprig of mint. If you are short on mint, use a slice of fruit and a cherry. Forget about those annoying little parasols. However, if you have a little monkey charm like ours, you might pull him out for this. Don’t forget to countdown: five, four, three, two, one, SIP! Now, who’s the chimp? You are! It’s a silly drink, we know, but it’s fun to think about a tropical paradise in January even though it’s probably a half-orbit around the world. If it’s cold and wet where you are, don’t let that bring you down. Focus on how silly this drink is and that should cheer you up. As Mr. Roarke would say to his staff every Saturday as his guests were about to arrive, “Smiles, everyone. Smiles.”

[…] a virgin make a yummy Tiki drink! his offering has one of those awesome Tiki names I just love: The Chimp in Orbit. CHIMP IN […]

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10 years ago

Tiare

This is awesome, i`ll definetily try it. Sadly my LH 151 is finished long ago but another high proof demerara will do i guess.Its just that the LH 151 has such a distinctive flavor, a pity its not made anymore. Hopefully i stumble over a bottle while in the US somewhere..

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10 years ago

Randy

Tiare, It’s probably not fair for me to suggest the LH 151, so I am curious what you decide to use. Options around here not not many, after all!

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10 years ago

Tiare

What i use isn`t so fair to suggest either..its some pricey but outstanding demeraras that are sold in this shop: (they ship worldwide)

The one i use for now instead of LH151 is Demerara Distillers Uitvlugt 1990 fullproof. It doesn´t have the same flavor profile but its a heavy demerara and good to float with.

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10 years ago

cindy

My husband and I were introduced to this rocket propelled cocktail in the 1980’s at the Hilton Hawaiian Villiage Hotel Center Lobby Bar. It was their signature drink served in these very tall and skinny glasses with even longer straws! You had to hold the glass between your knees in order to drink from it! It is a very smooth and delicious cocktail but you do need to take it slow because by the time you have finished and are asking for another, the order requested changes from a Chimp in Orbit to a Shrimp in Orbit! We have many… Read more »

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7 years ago

Randy

Cindy, thanks for comment! It really puts this recipe into historical context.

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7 years ago

Dis434

I love this and can’t wait to try this recipe! I lived in Waikiki in the early 80s and we used to sit at the Hau Tree Bar and drink them! They came in foot tall glasses with 2 foot tall straws and we would prop our feet up on the rock wall around the bar and set the glass in the chair with us and just tip to the side a ways to take a sip. It was a rough way to spend a day, I’ll tell ya but it made for fun memories! Lol

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2 years ago

David Martin

My memory goes back to 1989, Kona & all the Hotels striking to negotiate wage deals with Hotels & IRS. This amazing cocktail came in a pottery Vase about 12 inches high. I loved them so much the staff awarded me the Vase, which I still have. Now, finally have the recipe. Many thanks.